Restaurant Labeling

By Rachel Brown, KSC Dietetic Intern

 http://www.mytinyworld.co.uk/dollshouse/miniatures.as
p?prod=60

The History of Food Labeling

- Before 1900 - Use of local, whole foods
- 1913 Gould Amendment was added to the 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act -
packages needed a label describing what was inside by weight, measure, and
count
- 1990 Nutrition Labeling and Education Act - FDA requires the nutrition
labeling of most foods regulated by the agency and require that all nutrient
content claims and health claims be consistent with agency regulations
- 2014 FDA published Food Labeling; Nutrition Labeling of Standard Menu
Items in Restaurants and Similar Retail Food Establishments as a part of the
ACA of 2010
What is Restaurant Labeling?
As of May 2017, all restaurants or similar retail food establishments that are part of
a chain with 20 or more locations will need to display calorie labels of menu items.
- Standard menu items will need to have calories listed on menus and menu
boards next to the name or price of the food/beverage
- Self-service foods (buffets or salad bars) will need to show calories on the
signs near the foods

Restaurants are also required to provide the statement that 2,000 calories a day is
used for general good nutrition advice, but calorie needs may vary, and a
statement regarding the availability of the written nutrition information of menu
items upon request.
Relation to the Field of Dietetics
- Food labeling is an opportunity for nutrition
education
- Dietitians make the labeling useful to the
population
- Can use food labeling to our advantage during
counseling
- Increased job opportunity from increased need
for nutrition analyses of menu items

http://morestaurants.org/menu-labeling-delayed-again/
My Personal Bias
I am in the nutrition field and like the idea of expanding nutrition information to
consumers. I like having calories of menu items available to be able to monitor
how meals fit into daily calorie needs.

I also have the conflict of interest that I could benefit from restaurant labeling by
making it easier to counsel clients in the future and could possibly lead to more
dietitian jobs.
Restaurant Labeling and the Environment
Restaurant labeling is a policy that aims to change the environment of restaurants
and other retail food areas by displaying calorie amounts of the food options.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/calorie-count-menus-1.3945275
Environmental Benefits
- Decreased barriers to healthful eating

- Increased awareness of calorie counts in restaurant foods

- Restaurant environments have a decrease in encouragement to overeat or

eat unhealthily

Predicted long-term outcome

- Increased public knowledge of calories in foods and increased incentive for
restaurants to provide healthier options
- A possible decrease in portions being given to decrease total calories in the
future
Environmental Losses
- Promoting the idea that health of menu items is only related to their calorie
content
- Restaurants are not promoting or providing more healthful options

Predicted long-term outcome

- Overall decreased focus on nutrient density over calories amounts

- Possible no effect on food choice behavior of consumers

Restaurant Labeling and Economics
Restaurant labeling is another cost to restaurants and other retail food
establishments, but it could also be an economic benefit in healthcare and to
those who can determine the nutrition contents of the menu items.
Economic Benefits
- Increased income for those who can provide food nutrition content
information
- Increased income for the government enforcing the act through fines to
locations that do not comply

Predicted long-term outcome

- Decreased healthcare costs with decreases in obesity, diabetes, and heart
disease
Economic Losses
- Increased cost for restaurants to meet regulations

- Decreased interest for smaller restaurant chains to expand to the 20 location

level for fear of increased nutrition analysis cost
- Possible penalty costs if locations do not follow the regulation standard

Predicted long-term outcome

- Decreased expansion of smaller restaurant chains

- Increased cost of food to accommodate increased costs of menu labeling and

penalty costs
Restaurant Labeling and American Food and Health Culture
Restaurant labeling changes food culture by changing the environment and
knowledge that goes along with eating food out. The labeling of calories can affect
how we see menu options and in return change what we desire as a culture.

http://thehayride.com/2014/12/why-the-federal-governments-mandatory-menu-calorie-labeling-does-not-work/
Food and Health-related Benefits
- Increased awareness of caloric intake in an environment that usually
undermines healthy food choices
- Increased pressure for restaurants to keep menu options lower in calories

Predicted long-term outcome

- Increased popularity of healthier options and restaurant commitment to
making healthier options
- Decreased health problems related to high calorie intake
Food and Health-related Risks
- Inconsistent study results of whether calorie labeling has any or minimal effect
on food choice
- The belief to get more calories for your money in the less health literate
populations
- Have a negative effect on those struggling with eating disorders

Predicted long-term outcome

- No changes in the obesity epidemic

- No changes in food choices, if not worse food choices

Cultural Influence - Media
Reports from NIH, the FDA, the New York Times, the Health Policy Brief, and
other opinion pieces from organizations have made key points when debating
the Pros and Cons of adding the calories to menu labels.
Pros Cons
- Increased access to nutrition information - Increased spending for restaurants
- Decreased barriers to healthful eating in - More government regulations for
restaurants restaurants to follow
- Possible better long-term health - Increased need for nutrition
outcomes education for information to be used
correctly
- Not as effective at preventing
obesity as other measures such as
taxing added sugar content
Cultural Influence - Target audiences
The target audiences for most of the media about this topic are policymakers,
restaurant owners, and healthcare workers.

Policymakers - Media is trying to persuade them to rethink the strength of

enforcing this policy on public health

Restaurant Owners - Media is trying to explain the changes and economic

burden of this change in policy to make them fight against it

Healthcare workers - Media is trying to explain the long term implications of this
policy on consumer health
Cultural Influence - Biased
Depending on who is writing the article, there is a different biased opinion because
it either supports supports them getting more money and power, or taking away
their money and power.

Policymaker bias: They want the government to take more control over the
health of the country because of the obesity epidemic. More information is better
for the public, it is irrelevant the cost of restaurant business to implement.

Restaurant owners bias: Increased nutrition information does not change

behavior, it only wastes the money of business owners. The government is trying
to get more control and will get money out of it.
Target Audience of the Policy
Consumers!

This policy aims to help consumers make better decisions while eating out in
hopes to reduce the negative health outcomes of obesity.

Overtime, the FDA is hoping that this new policy will help inform consumers of
calorie amounts in foods and put pressure on restaurants to provide healthier food
options to make a healthier American food culture.
Limitations
- There have been no long-term studies done on the effects
of calorie labeling in restaurants
- Studies so far show inconsistent results that may be due
to health literacy or the study subjects not understanding
the calorie amounts on the menu
- Since this policy is not mandatory yet, we do not know
how the regulations will impact the restaurants financially
through fines
Conclusion
Restaurant labeling is not the most effective tool to promote behavior change, but it is a start
to informing the public about calorie amounts in their restaurant food options.

Studies so far have shown mixed reviews of the effectiveness of menu labeling leading to
lower calorie purchases.

With more time for the policy enforcement to take place, we will be able to see how labeling
affects the environment and economics of restaurants through consumer food choices,
increased spending on nutrition analysis of menu items, and the possible fines for not
meeting regulatory standards.

Overtime, we can determine if increased education on calorie needs and restaurant labeling
will lead to better food choices and health outcomes in American culture.
References
https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryIn
formation/ucm437403.htm
https://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm43
6722.htm
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/27/upshot/calories-on-menus-a-nationwide-expe
riment-into-human-behavior.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4209007/

https://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/articles/2015-12-14/restau
rant-calorie-labeling-has-unintended-consequences
http://healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief_pdfs/healthpolicybrief_140.pdf

http://www.foodandnutrition.org/Stone-Soup/April-2014/The-History-and-Future-of-N
utrition-Labeling/
https://cspinet.org/resource/cost-menu-labeling

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4209007/